Method of treating strand materials



Qd. 2, 1945. Q sMn-H METHOD' oF TREATING STRANDMATERIALS Filed'Jan. 9, 194,3 2 sheets-sheet 1 NVENTOR LMasai/Thr Arron/wir 'Och 2, 1945. c; C, sMrl-H METHOD OF TREATING` STRAND MATERIALS Filed Jan. Y9, 194s y 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Oct. 2, v1945 UNITED STATES PATEN T OFFICE A rm'rnonior TREATING s'raANn MATERIALS Charles C. Smith, Cranford, N. J., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application Januaryl 9, 1943, Serial No. 471,902

`This invention relates to methods of treating strand materials. more particularly insulated electrical conductors'.

In the manufacture of certain types of electrical conductors for use in the communication arts, textile coverings therefor are coated with added insulating material such as cellulose acetate.- In such coating processes given lengths of time are required, as well as given temperatures for drying the coating material, and if the length of time and/or temperature should vary' excessively or if an excess coating of material should be applied to the conductor, the-conductor 3Claims Cl.111e-63) 4 i Y ably supporting a supply reel I6. A supply of strand material Il is wound upon the reel, this would be rendered undesirable, possibly not for vcommercial use, but dueto the fact'- that the coating is rendered opaque and the color of the textile covering is thus indeterminate.

An object of vthe invention is to provide Aa. method of treating strand materials, particularly electrical conductors coated with insulating materials.

material, in the present instance, being an electrical 'conductor I8 with a serving I9 of textile' or paper material and an outer coating 20 of vcellulose acetate. The material` I9 may be of such cable or the assembling of electrical ap- I paratus in connection therewith.

With this and other objects in view,the invention comprises the method which may be practiced to withdraw a strand material from a supply, pass the material successively through a bath of penetrating material and through intermediate wiping elements to allow the penetrating material to penetrate the coating on the strand, thc

The present method,therefore, includes the steps of passing the strand material Il'through Vthe bath I I, it being-'noted that the supply on vthe reel may also extend beneath the upper Y surface' of the bath. The strand Il is removed wiping elements serving to remove excess por tionsof the coating material.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the appa.- ratus by the aid of which the method may be practiced;

Fig. 2 is a top. plan view ofthe apparatus. and.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a wiping die, this view being taken along the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

' Figure 4 is a 'fragmentary elevational view of o. portion of the improved wire illustrating Vthe transparent coating. v v

Referring' now to the drawings, it Willbe observed that the apparatus by the aid of which the method may .be practiced includes a tank I 0 for a supply of liquid II which', in the presentv instance, is a mineral oiLhighly puriedfor the reduction of the moisture content .t0 a minimum, and commercially known as "transil oil` No. 10. Suitable bearings I2 and I4 are mounted upon the side walls of the tank I Il and are adapted to support the ends of a shaft I5, the latter rotatfrom the supply on the reel in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 1) and passes around a sheave 22, through a spiral wiping element 23, beneath the supply on the reel4 and into the bath II, after which it passes around anothersheave 24,' back' beneath the supply on the reel to a third sheave (Fig, 2) identified by reference numeral 25 and from this sheave the strand passes through another spiral wiping element 26, ag'ain beneaththe supply on' the reel and vertically through' a. inal wiping ,die 21. The sheaves 22 and 25 are mountled upon a common shaft 28,'the ends of which are journaled in bearing portions 29 of a bracket 3l), the latter being xed to the tank I0 as shown in Fig. 2. The sheave 2l is mounted upon a shaft'32, the ends of which are journaled in bearing portions 33 of a bracket 34, mounted in the tank I0, as illustrated in Fig.2. The spiral wip.

ing elements 23 and 26are identical in structure,

` having their upper ends pivotaliy supported at 35 relative position of the fabric covering and the and 36, respectively, in arms 3l supported by the bracket 30. These elements providea passage- 4way for the strand material being treated and serve, not only to wipe the excess liquid II therefrom, vbut 'to remove any excess coating, should such be present.

The wiping die 21 consists of a resilient die member 39 formed of rubber, or any other suitable material, centrally apertured for the passing of the strand material I1 therethrough and supported by a bracket l0 mounted upon any suitable means, not shown, in a position above the reel and tank as illustrated in Fig. 1. The die member 39 includes a structure indicated generally at Il for use in mounting the die on the bracket 40.

Considering now the'steps of the method, let it be assumed that a full reel with a supply of the material I1 to be treated-is mounted on the shaft I5, and the latter disposed in the bearings I2 and I4. The strand material I1 threaded about the sheaves and through the wiping elements and nally through the wiping die 21 may be advanced through the application of a pulling force on the material after it has passed through the die 21. This pulling force, extending longitudinally of the strand, will also be transmitted to the supply reel by the passing of the strand, in vits nal travel toward the die 21, i'n engagement with the supply on -the reel, thus causing rotation of the reel at a speed desired for the removal of the strand material therefrom. During this advancement of the material, it is withdrawn from the reel, passed into the liquid, advanced through the wiping element 23, after which the material passes through the bath I I in 'travelling toward the sheave 24 and again enters the "bath in passing beneath the supply toward the renders the latter transparent so that the material I9 may be readily observed and its color determined.

Thus, through the aid of the apparatus, the method may be practiced to accomplish various results on a single article, namely, a strand of material having a coating which is opaque, or rough, or of an excess size. The strand, or rather the coating thereon, mayhave any one, two, or al1 three o! these objective features and the apparatus, without any variations in the structure or the bath, may be employed in successfully carrying out the method steps to remove these vobjective features. The bath will always be absorbable into the coating, andv as a result will render the coating transparent andwll also make the coating soft so that any rough spots present may be removed or made smooth and any voversize portions may be reduced. The dies 23 and 26 serve only as wiping dies if the coated strand is of the desired-size, but serve as shaping dies during the presence of rough or oversize portions.

Although specific improvements of the invention have been shown and described it will be understood that they are but illustrative and that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope and spirit of this ing thereon which has been made undesirably rough and opaque by excess drying thereof, the method comprising passing the coated strand through a bath of mineral oil absorbable into the coating to soften the coating and render it transparent, and smoothing the coating.

comprising advancing the strand longitudinally,

directing the strand through a bath of mineral oil absorbable into the coating to render the coating transparent, and wiping excess oil of the bath from the strand.

CHARLES C. SMITH. 

